It seems like, at this point, the Justin Fields era in Chicago is coming to an end. After almost a year's worth of speculation – along with some up-and-down play from Fields – the idea of moving on from Fields has never felt more realistic. With Caleb Williams waiting to go #1 overall in this Aprils' NFL Draft, the Bears have found themselves in one of the rare instances where they can move on from an uncertain-but-exciting quarterback prospect without having to pay him huge money first. And while Fields has had more than a few electrifying moments in his three-year NFL career, he didn't make enough of a jump this past season for the Bears to be absolutely certain about his future. So now that Fields is more-than-likely headed off to another team in 2024, the trade rumors and projections have gone wild trying to figure out where that is. In a recent ESPN article full of QB predictions, Fields ends up in Vegas. Here's what Raiders writer Paul Gutierrez predicts:
"In this scenario, the Raiders offered second- and seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft for Fields. Champ Kelly, who was their interim GM in the last half of the 2023 season, was with the Bears when they drafted Fields, and although Tom Telesco was hired as general manager, Kelly remains with Las Vegas as assistant GM. Some of this might hinge on how Telesco and whomever the Raiders hire as the offensive coordinator view Fields. But it makes financial sense for the Raiders because Fields -- a three-year NFL vet who is younger than rookie Aidan O'Connell -- is on his rookie contract and under team control for the next two years."
All things considered, it'd be hard for Bears fans to get mad at that deal. Even with the draft capital that Ryan Poles has assembled this year, getting a second round pick back would be huge for Chicago. And Fields' fit in Vegas makes sense, too: they desperately need a spark at QB, and Fields would benefit a bunch from a coach who was more willing than Chicago's to mold the offense around his skillset, and not vice-versa. Plus he'd be in the AFC West, far away from where he could ever hurt the Bears; the Champ Kelly connection obviously doesn't hurt either. And, for what it's worth, a Justin Fields Raiders jersey would look super cool. If I'm a Bears fan, I'm signing off on this deal every day of the week and twice on Sunday.